Sunday, July 30, 2006

Seriously, that's about it. Rebecca and I skated into church on time - barely. She changed her jeans one last time in the van. (Tinted rear and side windows). She still wasn't totally happy but she settled for what she had on.

Rochelle was supposed to read the scripture this Sunday but we never received the text. I wondered but thought they'd changed the program somehow. They sure had. Our new minister decided to talk about David and Bathsheba and realized it would be odd for an 11 year old to be reading about adultery, pregnancy, coverup, betrayal, and murder. Right. The modern day t.v. dramas can't compare to parts of the Old Testament.

Of course Rebecca, who was taking it all in, came home and told her sisters the whole story. They were enthralled. Next week, chapter two.

It's most unusual for us to be reading 2nd Samuel but the minister did a good job of tying the sad story of David in with today's world. I certainly wasn't offended; just a little surprised.

That was the highlight of my day.

My older son has all but finished his packing and moving. I took the girls and we all met at Barnes and Noble (Tim and Jim's wife Melissa were both at work there) and we chatted for a little while over cold drinks. Jim deploys for the border on Tuesday. I had thought it would be sooner but he'll be completely moved, the power will be on, and Tim will be available to help Melissa. It'll work out somehow.

Nothing much else today. The girls have rediscovered UNO and we've spent a lot of time hanging out and playing cards in shifts. Rochelle and Rebecca went to the playground with the kids across the street and came in a little before dark. They're all more or less settled in the living room for the night. I think Elcie opted for her room but she may change her mind. By next weekend they'll all be back in their beds and we'll start working on earlier bedtimes with school starting on the 14th.

I've added a few names to the blogroll and at some point I'll catch up on introductions. Maybe.

Okay, so it isn't really Friday. By the time I got around to the blog, I was falling asleep once again.

That's Elcie with Fidget. Not the greatest picture of Fidget but it's one of the better ones of Elcie. It really shows her smile and those curls that persist in spite of everything.

You may have to click on the picture of the three girls. It's a little dark.

And of course that's brown eyed Rochelle. I think she took that picture of herself. There were several on the camera I didn't know about until I transferred them all.

The young mystery woman is Angela who writes Adventures of a Nanny. She travels a "fur piece" a few times each baseball season to watch her beloved Oakland A's up close and personal. We've been known to watch baseball games "together" on t.v. while Instant Messaging back and forth. "My guys can beat your guys". Probably, judging from our last 6 games, all losses. She's also the computer wiz who rescued my blog from oblivion a few weeks ago.

Her trip this weekend took her within driving distance of me and we met about 40 miles down the road last night for dinner. Had a wonderful time chatting and eating (Chinese buffet once again - seems to be universal). (Our own mini-BlogHer). It wasn't nearly long enough; she had other commitments, but at least we met and I know one more person I've become fond of.

I haven't looked at a thermometer or a weather report in a couple of days but it seems to be cooler. It can't be that we're getting used to it; that wouldn't happen.

We actually did some cooking two nights in a row. We've been eating without cooking most days.

Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. We've caught up a little on housecleaning and the laundry is put away once again (except for what's in baskets in the laundry room from today).

Amazing what a couple of days under 110° can do. I don't think it will last; they're predicting more heat next week but at least we have a short break from the misery.

And I still haven't caught up the blogroll. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow?

Friday, July 28, 2006

We're all still okay. I had a busy day; two political meetings and a lunch with my friend. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate was here talking about air quality (rotten) and asthma (epidemic) in the central valley. Both are a huge problem We have "no burn" days in the winter and "save the air" days in the summer. Asthma is the highest cause of absenteeism in the schools and getting worse.

The second meeting was indirectly related to the first. A retailing giant would like to build a distribution center here and the community was invited to submit concerns to be examined in an Environmental Impact Report. I won't bore you with the details but the impact of this center running 24/7 year round with at least 900 trucking round trips a day would be considerable.

I've tried to keep an open mind (been sitting firmly on the fence) but if we can't breathe already, what will this huge operation cost us in terms of quality of life.

It will be in close proximity to three existing schools, a growing residential area, and the University of California. We're talking air and noise pollution, possible economic blight, traffic congestion and a host of other concerns. I'll wait for the "draft" EIR to see which if any of these problems can be mitigated but I may not be on the fence much longer.

Anyhow, that was my day. Not exciting to anyone else; but I believe in community involvement.

We may have cooled off a degree or two; I'm not sure. It's easier when I don't check the temperature. One of my commenters (Hi Tom) noted that Fresno, 60 miles south, made the national news. Their coroner is overwhelmed because of heat related deaths. So far none here (or power outages) as far as I know but our emergency room has been overflowing.

I mention that because several of you have asked.

The girls are holding up nicely and Ray is doing okay. I'll still be so glad when it breaks. At some point it has to. Now the experts are saying this may not be an anomaly but a harbinger of summers to come.

I think that's it for tonight. I just wrote an entire paragraph before I remembered I'd said it all before.

Or at least I'm pretty sure I said it here and not in email. Yep, I sure did. Once was enough.

Still haven't caught up the blog roll but I will. Not moving very quickly lately.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Brenda has much to say about her home state of Arkansas. Since I lived there for 8 years, I could identify with most of it; especially when she began talking about purple hull peas and the joys of a skunk under the house.

I was surprised by the response to the poem. I liked it very much and it seemed to appeal many of us. The writer was talking about her son; it could as readily apply to our daughters and grandkids.

I've spent the past hour answering comments and know I missed some of you. Not complaining you understand. Thanks to everyone for the comments on the poem and our San Francisco trip even if I missed responding personally.

Maybe tomorrow I can get back to greeting new visitors. Links are difficult when my eyes keep closing and I sure don't want to do them twice. For now, consider yourselves greeted.

For anyone who's interested, here's a link to the local paper and its article on the heat. I have heat rash on my left arm (driving of course) and on my back and neck as well. Yesterday I was feeling sick and I'm sure the heat was most of it. Today I'm much better. Even the swamp coolers can't deal with day after day of 110° and up. I keep a careful eye on my husband. The girls are fine but they're spending more time in the house than they would normally. Not quite fine; Rebecca has a case of prickly heat very like mine and we've been rinsing each other's backs with cool water. It seems to help. We'll worry about modesty later. We can't reach our own backs and we're both female. Makes sense to me.

Enough. You must be as tired of the weather as I. Heard from a friend that St. Louis (or the part where she lives) has their power back. We haven't lost power yet but I keep expecting it.

Kept my usual coffee date today and was joined by another friend (and Rebecca). The two were meeting for the first time and seemed to hit it off. Rebecca enjoyed herself. My friend always has new jokes for her and today a new business card for her collection. Came home, did a tiny amount of housework, finally made Elcie's spaghetti, and collapsed again. We'll all pitch in on the house when the weather breaks but we can't do much at a time. I keep the kitchen and bathrooms reasonably clean, the laundry washed, and the garbage taken out. I can deal with clutter later. If I start on it, Ray will feel compelled to be out there helping and it's the last thing he needs to be doing. Priorities again.

Tonight was the PFLAG steering committee meeting. It's usually fun since we all like each other and it's informal. We're planning another bowling night and possibly a social night of bingo once we check on the local ordinances. If we don't charge, we're probably okay but I want to make sure. We're a 501(c) - non profit for any who don't know - so we have to be very careful.

What else? Oh, my National Guard son (with the new baby) is headed for the border day after tomorrow. Should be there for a couple of months. And they're in the midst of moving as well. Timing is everything but Tim will be there to help. Jim will have his job waiting for him. At least it's not Iraq; the old back injury kept him out at the last minute.

Between my mini vacation on Sunday, spending much of Monday asleep, and my social calendar today, I'm way behind on visiting blogs so please know I'm not ignoring you. I'll get there eventually.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

I'll do some catching up later tonight. I have new visitors to welcome and by then I may actually have something other than the heat wave to talk about. Yes, we're still melting, I've heard part of St. Louis is without power, and New York City is miserable.

Fresno, 60 miles to the south, is even hotter. They have established cooling centers and are providing free transportation. They've also stationed air conditioned buses around the city for easy access. It's especially important for seniors. Those without air conditioning are always at risk with this kind of heat.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Five sets of pictures follow - They're numbered - you might want to start at the bottom. Just don't have time to change all the times and get them in order.

I went to the first Until There's a Cure Day in 1995 when we were still playing at old Candlestick Park. I'd already moved to Merced and never had a chance to get back for this annual game until now.

A portion of the proceeds goes directly to AIDS and they sell bracelets and t-shirts. (I have a t-shirt - you can see it in the later photos).

The girls were good until the game went into extra innings. I couldn't explain that there are no "ties" in baseball (except for rainouts and very rarely a game that stretches on into the next morning). We lost in 12 innings 6-5 but it was still a great day.

I switched seats with their Uncle Jim so I could sit with the grownups for a little while and not keep hearing "is it over yet" from Rebecca. He gave her his "fatherly" look and she subsided.

I couldn't get pics of the game itself. Our seats were at the far back of the lower reserved section; partly to keep us under the second deck and out of the sun and partly so Elcie wouldn't have to navigate the steps. She's done it before but I was grateful to our coordinator for thinking of it.

It was an almost perfect day (the loss was the downside but at least we were in 1st place for a day and we took 3 out of four from San Diego). It was wonderful hanging out with my PFLAG friends and reconnecting with a couple of dear friends from the city who joined us.

I think we got back here around 8:30 and walked off the bus into the blistering heat even at that hour. I started to download pics last night but was just too tired to focus.

Lots of food. We had snacks, water, juice and soda on the bus and my friends at the game kept feeding the girls. Fries, garlic fries, popcorn, cotton candy plus an assortment of packaged snacks from the bus and a huge Sprite the four of us shared. I kept refilling the glass with water for the rest of the game. I finally slowed them down - I didn't want to deal with sick kids on the return trip. They were fine - dozed off for the last 40 miles from the stop in Modesto in.

We're already planning on a repeat for next year.

Talk to you later. Have to give Tim a ride to work and wanted to put everything on.

And I have to let the few people who have already checked in know that they missed some of the pictures.

By this time Elcie was far ahead of us heading for the bus. I was dragging a little.

The two vessels are more ferries; A/C Transit (new to me) and the Blue & Gold. Good shot of the San Francisco half of the bridge in background. It's actually two bridges. The suspension side stops at Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands. We drove through a tunnel and then on to the cantilever section for Oakland. It's a long, high bridge.

Jim and I are standing in front of the statue of Juan Marichal at the entrance to the ballpark. He's another Hall of Famer, pitcher of course. That leg kick was his trademark. I've watched him pitch and could never figure out how he kept from falling down.

The guys in the picture with Tim are two of our closest San Francisco friends who met us at the game. I've known Louis (in orange) for 25 years and we don't see enough each other.

You can't tell from the photo angle (we were sitting between 3rd base and the outfield) but those people with balloons formed a ribbon. CCH Pounder spoke briefly and she threw out the first ball. An HIV positive child from South Africa was an honored guest as well. Both teams joined the balloon group to form a circle. (San Francisco always invites the visiting team to join - I don't think they've ever refused). The players all wore the ribbons on their uniforms. Eventually the balloons were released. The SF Gay Men's Chorus sang San Francisco and The Star Spangled Banner (one of the few times it didn't set my teeth on edge from being mangled so badly).

That's an outside shot of the Park looking across McCovey Cove. The old Giants had two famous Willies who came with the team to San Francisco in the late fifties. One was center fielder Willie Mays, of course. The plaza in from of the park is named for him. This is first baseman Willie McCovey. Both Willies are Hall of Famers and still involved with the team although Willie Mac is quite lame and walks with crutches.

On one of the shot, you can see the Bay Bridge in the background. The vessel is one of the ferries (there are several) that bring fans to the ballpark.

The girls wanted a picture of our big bus. That's it and if you look closely you can see the driver (in straw hat) right behind me. He was great; dropped the bus for Elcie and then helped her on and off. That first step would have been a struggle and she probably would have needed a boost otherwise.

Isn't that a great picture of Rebecca? I love her blue eyes. She's wearing my treasured autographed Giants hat.

The strange looking things are windmills. Miles of them about halfway between here and the city. It's a perfect spot for a windfarm; on the Altamont pass between Tracy and Livermore. Took us about five tries. It's hard to take a picture from a moving bus and it's not the most scenic trip down Hwy 99. It gets more interesting on the last leg.

I wanted to get a picture going across the Bay Bridge from Oakland to San Francisco. Beautiful clear day. The Golden Gate bridge (the orange one) was visible and the water was full of sailboats. Rebecca made it across just fine. She actually had a little more trouble coming back on the lower deck. The idea of all those cars above us bothered her. (It bothers me a little too). She asked about earthquakes just as we reached the place on the bridge that collapsed in October 1989. I told her we'd talk about earthquakes later. She wanted to know if a large enough quake could hurt the bridge and I said it would take a very large quake. I didn't mention that Loma Prieta was a very large quake. I imagine most of you have seen the photos that were taken back then. No, the whole bridge didn't fall - just one small section. I can still feel the rough place in the pavement where they fixed it. Spooky to those of us who were around then.

Anyway, I was too busy pointing out different things to the girls, including the tall building nicknamed "tweezer towers" where I used to work, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the "pointy" building.

The large building is Pier 48 across a small lift bridge from the ball park. Not as fancy as our famous Pier 39 but much more authentic. I had to convince the girls the bridge wouldn't lift while we were walking across it. The even numbered Piers (up to 80) are south or Market Street; the odd numbered piers (including Pier 39 with its seals) are north. The girls haven't seen that one yet.

Fans can stand on the bridge and watch the game for free. With a radio, they can hear it as well and the crowd can be heard without the radio.

The park is downtown and on the water. Home runs, called splash hits, go into McCovey Cove and all manner of craft are in the water waiting to scoop them up. They even have water dogs trained for it and it's not unusual to see people in scuba gear. I wish I could have taken some pictures but it's a long walk from where we were sitting to the other side of the ball park and then up to the top seats.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

That's Rochelle and Fidget sprawled out at my bedroom door. She's wearing my oldest gown - too big even for me and with built in air conditioning (see large hole).

I thought oh, how cute and reached for the camera just in time to see the two of them bathing each other.

I'm sure they'll both survive but yuck.

Afterthought several hours later:

Did I rush to separate them before Rochelle was exposed to cat fur? Of course not; I grabbed for the camera.

I must be turning into one of those bloggers.

San Francisco forecast 79° tomorrow. Jim has just about decided to leave the baby home with his big sisters. We'll arrive two hours before game time (surprise) and five hours plus the time on the bus coming and going is just too much for even the best natured of infants. We would have loved to show him off but another time.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Dave has an interesting blog and these are funny. Drop over and take a look.

I may try for an early bedtime. I want to make sure all is in order (or as much in order as it ever gets) around here so the girls and I will be ready to leave for San Francisco early Sunday. I don't want to miss another special occasion by being unprepared.

Plus my eyes have been bothering me; probably from the sweat dripping into them on its way to the keyboard. Even with the cooler it's hot. At least now it's bearable.

Girls still playing out front (in and out) and Elcie is sprawled on the couch. Cats everywhere. Our fuzzball longhair kitty has disappeared. She was a stray and I'm hoping she found her way home. Cats sometimes do that. She was sick when she arrived and healthy when she left so maybe she'll do okay. Nice little kitty.

I'll talk to you tomorrow probably. Thanks to all for the comments in case there's someone I missed.

And thanks for all the suggestions on the goodie bags. Susie, thanks for the offer to send your collection of miniature shampoos or whatever. Yes and greatly appreciated. If they don't qualify for the prison, A Woman's Place here can certainly use them. They do wonderful work with battered women and their families. They provide legal aid, emergency shelter, and many other things. Too many women and kids; not enough shelters. It's a sad commentary.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

The kitten is called, I think, a tabby swirl. Another half starved critter shaping up nicely. The other one is Fidget, now almost grown and a little less silly. He parents the kittens.

I mentioned Michelle briefly a week or so ago but I was thinking about her sister Autumn's Lemon-Lime Squares recipe and didn't do Michelle justice.

Michelle would enjoy some company. She's a new blogger with a little bit of everything. Her two latest posts (as of this writing) feature makeup tips and a most unusual lobster. I wonder what she'll write about next.

I totally lost track of what I was saying. The Giants just hit back to back to back home runs. Doesn't happen often. Bonds (722), Durham, Feliz for anyone keeping up with these things.

I've had a couple more lazy days. A little running today, A church Social Action committee meeting in the early afternoon, stop at the grocer for milk and bread, and then a quick lunch with Tim.

We've committed ourselves to 4,000 holiday goodie bags for the women's prison at Chowchilla, right down the road. Hotel size shampoo, soaps, conditioner, etc. Maybe some stationery. Many of these women have no families or anyone on the outside to care. This may not be much but it's something. We'll reach out for help of course. 4,000 little bottles of shampoo is a lot, to say nothing of storing all the stuff and then putting the bags together for shipment. We have until mid December to get it all done.

Sunday, if all goes well, Tim, the girls, and I head for San Francisco via charter bus to watch the Giants. Unless one of them is reading over my shoulder, they know nothing about it yet. Should be fun and Until There's A Cure Day (AIDS) is a good cause. A couple of old friends from San Francisco will be meeting us there. We were hoping Jim, Melissa, and the baby could go but both are working that day. Darn.

You'll notice I didn't rant about the heat. It hasn't cooled off at all but I'm still enjoying a comfortable room. The forecasters are saying 111° tomorrow and I'm translating to 43.9 C. Cooler that way. They were wrong last week; maybe they'll be wrong about tomorrow.

Not much going on otherwise. I'm still not doing much cooking. No one is really interested in hot food although I have a spaghetti request for Saturday. They'll always eat homemade spaghetti and I can start it early in the morning before the heat sets in. The late afternoons are the worst.

Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the autoindustry and stated, "If GM had kept up with the technology like thecomputer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments,

General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developedtechnology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with thefollowing characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would haveto buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. Youwould have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of thewindows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows beforeyou could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn wouldcause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which caseyou would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, wasreliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would runon only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights wouldall be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An IllegalOperation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock youout and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the doorhandle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have tolearn how to drive all over again, because none of the controls wouldoperate in the same manner as the old car.

10. Oh yeah, and last but not least . . . you'd have to press the"Start" button to turn the engine off!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Unless you happen to read this blog before 5:00 p.m. PDT, that information won't be much help. I'm scurrying to get this post up and maybe read a few of my visitors from blogspot while I still can. Who knows when it will be back.

A bit of second hand, unverified information. I've heard through the grapevine that a large country in Asia has blocked blogspot. No comment; just letting everyone know in case they don't hear from some of their regular visitors. I haven't had time to locate a second source so I won't even mention the country here. Email me if you want more info.

Update: Blogger back up and the New York Times has provided sufficient verification. It's India and it's apparently a reaction to the recent bombings in Mumbai.

She has 3 cats, 1 kitten, and two pet rats. I have 2 cats, 3 kittens, and one pet rat. Both of us are suffering without airconditioning. I think we may get along.

Just now realized I've never added Arwen from North Carolina. I know two people named Arwen; one east coast, one west. Just looked at my blogroll and only the west coast Arwen was there. Sorry, Arwen. Better late than never.

My social gadding went well until ten minutes before I was scheduled to leave the Barnes & Noble cafe for Cafe Sol to meet my lunch date. Son Tim (cafe manager) plunked down a huge piece of chocolate cherry cheesecake in front of each of us. What was I to do? We couldn't let it go to waste We did the right thing of course and ate it. (Life is uncertain - eat dessert first). Rochelle thought it was the most wonderful thing she'd ever tasted but she feels that way about almost all food; especially something new. I love her sense of adventure. Rebecca and Elcie aren't as daring. I've said before when Rochelle tastes something she adores, she reminds me of that great restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally.

It worked out. We split one sandwich at the Cafe and drank iced tea. My friend and I spent over an hour catching up and are planning to do it more often. Now that Ray is feeling a little better I can get out a little more and taking one child at a time isn't bad. More than one is work.

It's been a fun day for everything except my waistline and I'll be good for the rest of the week.

They are a large fan (looks like a window a/c). They hold water. Also called evaporative coolers but who wants to say all that. Sometimes the ones placed in windows drip causing the outside of the house to look like a jungle in that area.

They've been around forever but they're becoming more popular as the price of electricity goes up.

They run on regular house current, no worse than running a regular fan, and are portable.

The link shows a picture. (update - decided to add a picture of ours. The one in the living room looks better - it's not put together with spit, baling wire, and duct tape).

We have 3 now (all gifts and all functioning). One in our back bedroom, one in the living room (on our dining room table - no other place for it), and one on the top of our bookcase in this bedroom.

A friend gave us this one. It had been hanging around her garage and she now has central a/c. The fan blades were exposed so we put screening over that section and duct taped it all around. If I have to choose between form or function, function will win every time. It's an ugly thing but the price was right and it works.

More later. I'm on my way out for coffee and then lunch. Taking Rochelle. I forgot I'd promised her last week I'd take her this week. I don't know why she wants to sit around and listen to a couple of geezers talk about local politics, the mysterious courthouse fire (immediately following the resignation of our District Attorney), and corruption in government. Must be the strawberry frappucino she gets to slurp up.

Monday, July 17, 2006

We now have a swamp cooler in our bedroom which is also our sitting room and my computer center.

I have all the laundry put away. They helped with other things. Of course, I just took a load out of the dryer but tomorrow for that.

The cooler makes such a difference. We don't need it really chilly in here; just not quite so warm please.

Nothing more going on here. I'm still okay - whatever it was didn't come back. Girls all asleep and I'm headed that way. No nap this afternoon which is really better. My days and nights don't get as turned around.

The girls were under the hose again today. Much easier on me than 32 miles of driving to the lake and back and to the lake and back.

Mollie - Giants are trying to seal their doom.

I'm having a social day tomorrow if all goes as planned. My usual coffee with my friend in the morning and then meeting a friend I haven't seen for a few months. We have a solar powered cafe here which serves sandwiches, salads, and desserts. I've been there before and it's not bad.

Should be fun. We do political things together but when it's just the two of us we have fun and leave the serious stuff behind (almost).

Have a good day everyone. Hope no one is baking (or freezing) depending where you are.

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog.And if someone doesn't what you write, you really don't care!Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way.But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

She's Canadian. She and her husband have a 12 year old daughter and 15 year old son. She's one of my favorite people. Kind, witty, a wonderful writer, fantastic mom, and a good friend.

I haven't heard quite as much from her lately because she's been busy adding to her family.

I've followed her through the seesaw of the adoption process for some time. She must have felt like she was living on a roller coaster.

It has finally come to pass. Her new 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son (sister and brother) have come to stay. She is over the moon.

I can't think of anyone who could make a better home for these kids and I'm over the moon with her.

When I emailed her to ask permission to link to her latest post, she replied in part:

I keep wanting to stop people in the street and tell them how lucky I am,how happy, how blessed and of course, I can't and don't. But I feel like Ihave balloons inside me!

This is my version of stopping people on the street for her. It's been a long journey for her and her family. Please drop by her blog and add your congratulations. I think you'll like her as much as I do.

That's their mom in the sunglasses and it's the same kitten who was helping herself to the cat food in the earlier pics. Tasha is also the one (without sunglasses this time) in the pic with Elcie.

Rebecca is in the orange, that's Elcie in the purple bathing suit, and it looks like Rochelle is wearing gray. They'd all been getting wet (except for the kitten) under the hose in our back yard and then lazing around on towels. You'll have to click on that one photo to see it clearly.

Their mom looks almost as young as the girls and in many respects she is.

Alissa asked how many cats now. Technically, there are five but we're trying to turn the three kittens back into outdoor cats. I'll put food outside and try to catch up with them and have them altered. Two of them showed up on their last legs. I could have taken them to the county shelter and perhaps I should have but I didn't. Spunky and now Fidger we'll keep but they're indoor/outdoor cats. Perhaps we'll hang on to Dipstick. We'll see.

I have done nothing today which is probably what I should be doing. I even slept through much of the Giants game which we lost. Barry hit number 721.

Hi to Alice, another lovely granny from Australia and my first visitor from Canberra, the Capital. I've been reading her comments on other blogs for a while now and have been intending to visit hers. She beat me to it.

Thanks to all of you who expressed concern over whatever it was yesterday. Here's what I'm sure caused part of the problem with my hand.

Colles Fracture when I was 27. I caught my heel in a tread and went down a flight of stairs, landing on my left wrist. They encased it in pins and a huge cast but warned me that I was just over the optimal age for proper healing. They were right. It's always had less mobility than my right and it's always the one that gives me problems.

It's the only bone I've ever broken but when I did it I didn't mess around. Dislocated my shoulder at the same time.

Combined with the early symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that helped prompt my early retirement, I'm not surprised it acts up from time to time.

I spent most of each workday on a computer and not the kind of typing I do here. This is more stop and start and doesn't seem to bother me.

The foot and leg have done that before; usually from too much walking on concrete in my battered old loafers. I should invest in one pair of decent walkers. I finally wore through the soles of my ancient pair of ugly, but functional, Bass walkers.

I'd been quite inactive yesterday (heat) until I made the store run and I think my foot didn't like it too well and passed the message to my lower leg. Just a coincidence that the hand and foot went on strike at the same time.

But yes, I drink lots of water. I'll try to get a few bananas away from the girls before they disappear. And if it happens again with the severity of yesterday, I'll bite the bullet and see a doctor (as I'm always advising others to do).

So, I'm putting almost everything off until tomorrow morning.

Rebecca came home for a little while with her friend, the two ate breakfast, and they're gone again. Elcie is riding around the block in her chair and Rochelle has as much energy as I. She did cut up the second canteloupe for me. I'm avoiding gripping anything until I'm sure the hand is okay again. Tomorrow, we'll all work on the clean laundry. They can sort as well as I.

Rochelle found flags today I didn't know I had. First she brought out a CA state flag (Bear Flag Republic), then the flag of Mexico, and then a 50 star U. S. flag. All full size - large enough to display on a regular flagpole. ???

I knew I had a 48 star flag. To you kids out there, AK and HI became states in 1959 so that flag is at least 47 years old. The last state to come in before that was AZ in 1912. It's not in great shape but I keep hanging on to it. It's part of history.

I'll be back with some pics (if Kodak and Blogger cooperate) and later on a meme I hadn't seen before. It will look overwhelming but it's not, actually.

Three of us have been sick most of the day. Not Ray, thankfully. Rochelle, Elcie, and I have all had tummy upsets. Probably from the heat.

I got to the checkout counter at Save-Mart today and my left hand turned into a claw. It then spread to my lower leg and foot. I couldn't get into the car. I called Ray and told him I was going to try to walk it off. If I couldn't, I'd find someone to pick me up and drive the car home.

Finally, the leg eased up a little and I managed to make it home; mostly one handed. Took a bunch of ibuprofen and waited. Finally, Ray and I went to the kitchen to make the nachos I'd promised Elcie for dinner. I was okay for a while and then it came back again. We managed to get everything cooked, sliced, diced, and served (including a canteloupe for dessert) before I collapsed completely. Nachos are easy enough but they entail slicing tomato, lettuce, avocado, and a large Bermuda onion. Oh, and a couple of limes for garnish. They like limes. I cheated and used the packaged grated Mexican 4 cheeses. Served with the taco mixture over Fritos. They like them better than the authentic chips. I forgot the sour cream and Elcie noticed but she was okay with it. No snits.

Now it seems to be gone for good but I'm almost afraid to lie down. As long as I'm sitting with my feet a certain way, I'm comfortable.

It's happened before and it's not a big deal except it really hurts. My leg used to do that when I was working and wearing low heels instead of flats. I'd take my shoes off at the end of the day and my foot would go into spasms. I finally stopped wearing them completely and eventually the tennis shoe became popular in San Francisco. Greatest thing (next to panty hose and pants) ever to happen to women. And now more and more women don't feel the need for pantyhose. Good.

No more torture.

I sure become sidetracked easily don't I.

Rebecca is spending the night next door with a friend and the other two are asleep. I will be shortly, I hope.

Update: Forgot to mention she tried to pick her braids out with a small comb and became completely entangled. I had to cut her loose from the comb. I don't know yet how she managed it. The day after my friend redid them, she finally decided they hurt. Why not before, I wonder. It's barely noticeable fortunately. Just one little place on the side. No other way to do it or I would have. Maybe break the comb in half? Now I think of it. Oh well. Please don't tell her there might have been another way.

Elcie may have turned a corner with her attitude. I hope so; it's been a rough few months around here. She's been cheerful most of the time and much more interested in spending time with me. For a while there, I thought I had a contagious disease. She's been updating me on hauntings and was quite surprised when I knew the name of the hotel in San Diego and had heard of the Queen Mary. She's fascinated with the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. We looked it up online after she saw it on t.v. Discovery maybe? "Grandma, you've been there? "Sure, but it's been a while." We priced it and maybe up toward the fall. It's a little closer than San Francisco. It's expensive but I could budget for it if they promised to give up a few things. It's not wheelchair accessible but she gets around well and I'd be right beside her.

Here's a link to the sad story of the Winchesters and their fortune for anyone who isn't familiar with it. Money doesn't always bring happiness.

Update 2: Just noticed she has changed my wallpaper to the Hotel Del Coronado (San Diego) with a silhouette of the woman (Kate Morgan), a con artist who committed suicide there (or was murdered?) and is reputed to haunt it.

The other two were grounded from the car all of today. I took them with me Friday night to pick up a sick friend from the hospital clinic and they just wouldn't settle down. My friend was still sick, I was driving into the setting sun almost blind and they just kept it up. I didn't say much except how disappointed I was with their behavior when they knew my friend was sick and then I grounded them. No trips with grandma.

My forecast of 111° has been lowered somewhat. Still in triple digits but not quite that bad. I'll be glad when it cools off. I'm even boring myself.

Molly, you don't want to hear about the Giants. Awful, just awful. Only good news - San Diego lost too. First time in a while I've cheered for the Braves.

Hope all are well and are either enjoying or have enjoyed their weekend.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Calorie-burning activities

Proper weight control cannot be attained by dieting alone; however, many people who are engaged in sedentary occupations do not realize that calories can be burned by the hundreds by engaging in strenuous activities that do not require much (or any) physical exercise.

Here’s the guide to calorie-burning activities and the number of calories per hour they consume.

Note from Ann: The boldface items describe the way I see myself although I'm guilty of all of them (except climbing the ladder of success) from time to time:

Thanks to Michelle, a new blogger, cat lover, and Autumn's sister. If you click on Autumn's blog, you'll find a recipe for lemon squares.

Rebecca's hair has been rebraided and she's in the process of picking the braids out of Rochelle's. She may have hers redone tomorrow. They're tolerating them much better than I would.

We're heading into another heat wave. They're talking 108° in Fresno which means 106° here by early next week. I hope they're wrong.

Ray is still doing quite well and seems to be tolerating the heat better than I. I've been dragging around. My nose is raw under my glasses from sweat (isn't that attractive). Hydrocortisone clears it nicely but it comes back. Very annoying. This is the first year I've needed glasses full time. When I wore them for reading only, I could stop reading and give my nose a rest. Now I just take them off to bathe and sleep.

Rochelle was weeping at the kitchen table tonight abut missing her old school and starting a new one in August. I was comforting her and pointing out the tissues. About that time the smallest kitten hopped up on her lap and she giggled and wiped her nose on the kitten. Eww!

Elcie's had a couple of good days in a row. My daughter took her to Farmer's Market early this evening and she found a bracelet she liked. She came home, got wet under the hose, and took a long, cool bath. Then Carol trimmed the edges of her hair. Got rid of the deadwood and evened it up a bit. It looks wonderful.

Rebecca just presented me with four little characters from Vacation Bible School. A coyote, a cactus, a jack-rabbit (female), and an elephant left over from last year's Safari theme. She wanted me to put them on top of the computer but they keep falling into the keyboard.

Cassie, a 16 year old who makes purses out of multi-colored duct tape. Madcap, take note!!

Jon, a 19 year old from MN who uses other people's trash as sculpture. He has some interesting photos on his blog.

Friday's Child, a mom from the Philippines with an extremely artistic blog. When I met her the other day, she was hosting a virtual birthday party with all the trimmings.

I hope I didn't miss anyone.

Thanks to all for the comments. I know I've missed getting back to a few of you; especially when I don't have email addresses. No problem - just takes a little longer and I have more time some days than others.

Midnight and finally cooling off. I must think of something to talk about other than this lousy heat.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Deep and mysterious, it often seems like no one truly gets you.Inside, you are very emotional and moody - though you don't let it show.People usually have a strong reaction to you... profound love or deep hate.But you can even get those who hate you to come around. There's something naturally harmonious about you.

Won what? I didn't even know I was in the running for anything. I thought at first it was some type of spam that had crept past google's eagle eye. "You have been awarded an all expense paid..."

Then it looked legit so I opened it, still puzzled.

I am a Blogger of the Day. Wow!! I have no idea who nominated me; I promise I didn't do it.

I may have been the only nominee but that's okay too. I read some of the earlier award blogs and those bloggers were impressive. I checked out their sites and could understand how they won.

All well here. I've surrendered the hack license for today I hope. Only two short trips to VBS and back. I do have a few pictures (would you believe it took me four tries to type the word "picture" correctly?) which I will post later today. I ran into some lighting problems once again but they're okay.

This is what I emailed to a friend and had decided to use as my post. About that time Blogger went down.

8:30 Kid to VBS9:00 Walmart for candy for VBS9:30 Meet David for coffee at B&N (across from WalMart)11:00 Ray to doctor (Rochelle went along)12:00 Kid from VBS1:30 Ray from doctor and drop neighbor off at college to register (with R & R)1:45 ARCO for gas2:00 SaveMart for potato salad3:00 Pick up Tim from B&N - take to Amtrak (with R & R)3:45 Back home

Except I couldn't post it because Blogger was down for maintenance. Now it's 10:30.

The BBQ was a success. Plenty of food. We always worry there won't be enough but there always is. We met in a larger room because of the food so for about 30 minutes I was sitting in one of the church parking lots directing people to the other one. (The person with the signs was running a little late).

Elcie stayed home but I left food here for everyone and brought some of the potato salad and baked beans back home so no one starved while I was partying.

I don't think I accomplished anything today except driving. I missed picking up Ray's prescription but it can wait for morning after the VBS run.

Rochelle is fascinated by cars and I discovered today she's been studying driving on line. I was driving at her age or close to it but those were different times. Anyhow she spotted an old truck and said "that's jacked". I asked her if that meant good or bad. She said "it's horrible. That truck is a clunker. How come he puts those expensive spinners on that yucky looking thing?"

I hadn't even noticed the spinners but I told her maybe he was working on the truck from the bottom up. And now I know who to ask about the latest slang.

I enjoy taking the girls one at a time. We have our best conversations in the car and it's not so apt to happen with 2 or 3 of them. We talk about anything and everything which is harder to do here with everything going on at once and all of them wanting to be the center of attention.

I forgot to take the camera yesterday. If I remember tomorrow I'll have some pictures to post. An online friend is directing the same program we have. She had her decorations on her blog today. Great job.

This year's theme is Fiesta and today they were learning a song in Spanish. Funny considering where we live. The kids are picking up a lot of Spanish just from hanging out with the neighbors.

We're in Merced in the middle of the California San Joaquin valley in case anyone doesn't know. Large Hispanic population so our kids learn Spanish by osmosis. Languages seem to be easy for kids. I know a lot of Spanish words and can read a little but it moves too fast for me to keep up.

If you have your own list (see Montchan's comment on Sweden for example), let me know either by a comment or in email. We'll put up another post. This one seemed to be limited to the USA.

I don't know if I've ever said anything about the blogroll policy (only applies to mine). I add anyone who leaves a civil comment; especially if they're here more than once. And I introduce them on the blog (unless I get so far behind I accidentally miss them).

None of us are going to agree on everything but we seem to find much common ground over here and plenty to chat about. I like my visitors to know a little about each other and, at least for now, that policy won't change.

That being said, one blogger has been commenting here for some time now and I haven't introduced her or included her on the blog roll. We'd gotten off to a shaky start and I was quite surprised to hear from her. She was friendly and I responded in kind. Yesterday one of her commenters wondered in my comment box why I hadn't included her. Good question so I asked her how she felt about it. Okay she says. Okay by me too.

Hi Tearfree and belated welcome. She is quite anonymous. I do know she's a mom from Quebec but not much more than that except that she's a champion of Canadian soft lumber and male soccer players.

And now I'm going to check out a few blogs, catch up on the news of the day (all bad probably) and try for an early night.

Monday, July 10, 2006

I just told a friend that when I've had an unusually dull day, I'd cheat and post a meme, pics, a recipe or two, or a joke.

This has been one of those days - a reprise of yesterday and no baseball to break the ennui.

Tomorrow the All Star game.

All is well. We're just hot, tired, and slightly cranky. We'll have four days of Vacation Bible School at the church which will at least take care of the morning.

More tomorrow.

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If I didn't live in one of these states so I could make fun of myself I wouldn't post this.

A Mercedes? Rented or otherwise? Not in this part of California and certainly not in front of my house.

From my former neighbor once again.

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> Retirement Choices>> You can live in Phoenix , Arizona where.....> 1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.> 2. You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the> toilet bowl.> 3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.> 4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.> 5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face> when you open your oven door.> 6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING> ME??!!>> You can Live in California where...> 1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.> 2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.> 3. You know how to eat an artichoke.> 4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.> 5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it> will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.>> You can Live in New York City where...> 1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan .> 2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus> Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.> 3. You think Central Park is "nature."> 4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language> makes you multi-lingual.> 5. You've worn out a car horn.> 6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.>> You can Live in Maine where...> 1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco .> 2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.> 3. You have more than one recipe for moose.> 4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.> 5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and> construction.>> You can Live in Texas where...> 1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.> 2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.> 3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense> 5. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob! , Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty> Jean, Mary Beth, etc.>> You can live in Colorado where...> 1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.> 2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops> at the day care center.> 3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.> 4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.>> You can live in the Midwest where...> 1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.> 2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.> 3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.> 4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"> 5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic pl ace, you say, "It was> different!">> AND You can live in Florida where...> 1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon> 2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.> 3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.> 4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.> 5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.

Nothing serious and Ray is improving daily. It's just the heat I think.

Rebecca woke up with a sore throat and missed reading the scripture at church today. She'll have another chance. We all stayed home.

Ray is still awake watching Stargate and I'm up much too late as well. Rebecca is asleep on my side of the bed and I dread moving her. May just shove her over and crawl in. It's getting harder to do that. The child is finally growing.

The braids are still in place. Most of the comments said ouch!! I agree but neither of them are complaining yet.

I actually cooked for the first time in several days. I've had porkchops stashed since Ray's first of the two hospital stays and today he seemed well enough to eat one. I trim them so I'm not worried about the fat and I don't add salt anymore. Used a little rosemary and a couple of other things for seasoning.

Instant mashed potatoes and peas. It was just to hot to stand and peel potatoes to say nothing of heating up the house cooking them. I do more "real" cooking in cold weather.

Vacation Bible School (ours) starts on Tuesday for Rochelle and Rebecca. Elcie can attend as a helper if she wants. She's still something of a hermit so I don't know if she will. I must remember to pick up Skittles and M&M's before Tuesday morning.

PFLAG is having a barbecue in lieu of its regular meeting Tuesday night. Should be fun. Later in the month, we'll go watch the Giants play. The girls don't know it yet but they probably will go along. Elcie's the only one who has seen a major league game.

They went to the lake again Saturday but other than that we haven't done much except laze around. Seems like all I do is talk about the weather but it's very uncomfortable around here. We do the necessary but that's it.

I went back a couple of weeks and tried to find the new visitors. I've fallen behind once again. Sometimes the idea of all those links is overwhelming.

Of course it wouldn't be if I didn't procrastinate.

If I missed anyone, I apologize. If you don't see your name here or on the blogroll and would like to be included, please let me know. I'l try to catch the blogroll up tomorrow.

First, welcome to Puss in Boots, a new blogger and granny of seven from Queensland, Australia. I told her in the comments that I had a blogging friend from Australia named Meow but she was the first Puss in Boots I'd seen.

And to The Mama, another new blogger. She has a husband and two little children (one of each). She didn't divulge her location but a couple of hints she dropped made me think of the southern USA.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Thanks to Gina for the updated Title. (She suggested Friday Braid Blogging). I'll save the cats for another time.

What I found was the purse containing my camera. I knew all along where the camera was; it was the purse which eluded me.

These braids give me a headache just looking at them.

Don't know why they think they want them but they do. Rebecca is in the blue shirt, Rochelle is in white. For any of you who haven't noticed Rochelle's scar, she fought with a door several years ago. The door won. The doctor tried to glue rather than stitch and you see the result. Her hair usually covers most of it and makeup will take care of the rest when she's a little older.

I'll probably be back later but I promised several visitors pics of the braids so here they are.We're giving Rebecca one more day before she starts pulling them out one by one (all on one side).